Danganronpa: Gainsworth University
by A. Zarko
Summary: 16 students are invited to take courses to further their special abilities. However, they soon find out that they aren't here for the courses alone. There's a more sinister plot to be unraveled. Through despair and untrusted colleagues, who could possibly survive the game at hand? -Hiatus-
1. Prologue I

The halls were drowned in silence with only footsteps off into the distance, giving gently pokes to the growing laughter. A stray light emits from the single door to the right side of the hall, lighting up a teen's scraggly face. His left hazel eye looks through the window in the door and watches as a small teddy bear walks up to a young girl.

"Upupupupu. Are you ready for another round? This time, we'll bring despair to everyone who enters our school," the bear said as he was lifted up into the girl's arms. She giggles and sits down with him in her lap. She ran her hand along the bear's head, gently humming a sweet tune to him.

"Aye..?" He scratched his messy brown hair unsure of he just saw. When he sees her head turn towards the door, he ducks and falls to the right. His back hit the doorframe and he grunts. He had to get away from the door; he knew for sure the girl had heard him just now. He stood straight up and turned left down the hall. The pounding of the student's feet against the paved floor broke the silence.

He turned onto the bridge connecting the classrooms to the dormitory. He ran past empty dorm rooms on his way to the only one with an actual nametag. He burst through the door, panting like a dog; his eyes were on a silver haired teen with black streaks and a Shiba Inus whom sat next to him.

"What's gotten you into a run," the silver haired teen started, crossing his legs, "did you find a way to get out?" The brown haired teen shook his head, the bandana sliding off his head. His left hazel eye looked at the other teen, who only shook his head. He walked over and picked up the bandana from the floor and wrapped it back around his friend's head.

"Ya landlubber," he said as he ripped the bandana off, looking into the man's eyes; they were a purple hint, which offset the brown haired teen. "Me saw a sight wit' me own eye! Ther', in the classroom, a youngun an' a bear!"

"Dammit Kou, talk normally. You know I'm not a pirate like you are," the silver haired teen spoke as he grunted his teeth. Kou looked down and away. That was his normal talk.

"Me… I saw in a classroom, while I searching for a way out, a little girl hugging a teddy bear. The bear, though, he was talking to her! He said something about another round. You're smart, right Yomi? Do you have any ideas as to what it could mean?"

Yomi took a second to look the pirate over in front of him. He placed his index and thumb against the bridge of his nose and pinched them together. With a sigh, he sat back down by the Shiba, whom had its head on its paws. He spoke softly as he reached down to pet the little guy. "Hey, Ryuu, sit up boy." Ryuu did.

He looked up at Yomi, then over at Kou. The former rubbed the top of the dog's head and behind his ear. He moved his head in the direction of the scratch and stuck out his tongue. These two were the only ones he had known since first arriving at the school; them and the chew toy that talked.

"Well, from the way I see it, the bear has to be remote controlled, with someone behind it. Obviously, we're not going to be the only ones who have to live in here. Just go and look at the dorm rooms. They each have a theme to them. You have a circus, an animal room, and a stage, just to name a few," Yomi stated, still petting the dog.

"So what, are we getting some more people?" Kou asked, and the other nodded.

The overhead speakers in the room screeched before a high pitched voice came on. "_Bing, bang, bong! _Attention students! Attention students! Everyone, please gather in the auditorium! I repeat, please gather in the auditorium! Upupupupu." It said, before the speakers turned off.

Kou looked over at the speakers hanging above the bed, then back to the teen sitting in the corner of the room. The latter only shrugged as he stood up. His furry friend got up, but lowered himself into a stretch. "Does this mean there are more people than just us," he asked, only to be ignored by the other. He stared as the latter walked to the door and out to the hall.

There were those footsteps again. Afraid or confused, he knew not. In fact, he thought about going out when he heard them approaching, but couldn't. Especially when he had no way of defending himself. Well, he had his water flower to at least get him a second head start. He sighed and turned around to face his own room.

As his eyes gazed at the wallpaper he set up for himself, he smiled to himself. It reminded him of the days before. Bright lights and loud music, only to make his watchers happy. Even if he pained during his performance, it would still bring a smile upon the children's faces. His big red nose and colorful shoes made it easier to accomplish his task.

He sighed, thinking about those days and how he gave them up. The more important question was why. Why did he decide to give up working at the circus for an education? It wasn't an easy choice, but he managed to persuade himself. Then again, his hadn't convinced himself he made the right choice.

He turned around to face the door again, listening for more footsteps. He heard water in the shower turn on, but nothing came from behind the front door. Defeated, he walked back over to the bed and sat down. He didn't mind the softness of the bed at all. It was like he was on a cloud, watching over the big tents and single stands. That was where his home was, all complete with his brothers.

The footsteps came back to the front of the door. He hopped up and ran over. Deep down, he wanted to open the door for the first time and see who made those echoing steps. Then he thought about the stories he's heard on his old walks through Clown Alley. 'If you hear footsteps beyond the door, don't investigate! The demons of the outside world are walking past for a chance to yank you from your home,' his mother would always say. Why would they have followed him here, though; especially after he handed in the keys to his trailer.

"Yumiko, why are you always at the door? Don't you know it's rude to leave a girl like me alone," a girl called out. He turned around, completely forgetting about the girl in the shower. He looked away when he saw the towel wrapped around her. "I could have been all ready in bed and you wouldn't have even of known!"

"Sure I would have! You're the only thing that can catch my attention, you know?" He responded as he scratched the back of his head. She sighed and grabbed the hola-hoop set next to the door. She stepped in the middle as she pulled it above her head. The shower curtain hanging from the hoop gave the girl's silhouette. She dropped her towel and the hoop. Her starry hat drooped a little as she tilted her head.

"Ta-dah~!" She said as she pulled the blue cape that hung around her shoulders apart. Along with the cape, the rest of her attire was, in fact, blue. "Do you like this attire? Perhaps you like my other uniform better, don't you~?" She squatted down on the spot.

"Well, I like anything you wear, really. I don't have a preference. Everything is beautiful when you wear it," he responded again, "Then again, you're also beautiful without anything on you as well."

She stopped for a second, blushing at his words, before pulling the hoop straight up. With one hand holding the hoop up and the other pulling the hat off, she lets the ring drop down to her ankles. She adjusted the pink tie between her white button down and the black suit jacket. Her hands traveled down her sides and onto her waist. As she pulled down her skirt, she stuck her tongue out when she leaned forward to brush off the bottom.

"This color is more my style; if you're lucky, I'll let you have your way tonight," she mocked, "only if you can make me laugh like you do. Come on, we have to go down to the auditorium."

"Well, I mean, we got a few minutes before we do, can you show me how you do that hoop trick?" He asked shyly, rubbing the back of his head. She stared at him; she nodded and smiled wide.

"_Bing, bang, bong!_ Attention students, this is the final call for all students to report to the auditorium! I repeat: this is the final call for all students to report to the auditorium!"

"Attention dipshit, no one gives a crap!" A black haired youth snapped back at the speakers. He had already been fed up with the fact that he's already stuck there. Before the first announcement came on, he had gotten two girls to go with him. He wanted to go check out the whole school, but no. The little actress had to go on to the stage for her own little purposes.

"Do you know when your time will come? Oh! Woe is me! Why must fate take the good and leave the rest lonely? Is there no justice, no rest for the wicked?" The actress called out from the stage. She dawned on a red dress, with a ribbon tied around the collar, which draped down around her ankles. She walked across the stage and knocked on the air. "Oh, brother, won't you let me in on your little scheme? I don't like being left in the darkness."

He sighed. He had his feet up on the arm of the chair next to him, with his head resting on the back. This wasn't what he thought of when an actress says about practicing while wearing those skintight shorts of hers. He shook his head at the thought. He looked from the stage to the girl sitting next to him, whom looked back at him.

"Blake, what do you think of Natsumi," the girl said, looking back at the actress, "do you think she's cute?" Blake laughed a little to himself. Sure, she was cute, but not enough to really have an effect on him. She looked back at him and smiled, "you must think so; you're blushing!"

"Why do you care? You're a mangaka," he said mockingly. "Can you make yourself useful and get the girl off the stage before anyone else comes in? She's starting to give me a headache."

"Natsumi, can you come down here for a second? I want to talk with you," the girl paused, "Blake and I wanna talk with you about your fashion." The boy next to her sighed and closed his eyes. It's too early for this nonsense. He could hear the footsteps of the actress grow louder before they stopped. He opened his eyes up. His view shot straight up to the girl's face when he noticed that she wasn't wearing the long dress anymore.

"What is it, my darlings?" The actress asked. She had her left hand on the hip of her skin tight, green gym shorts and the other smoothing out her hair. Blake sighed and sat up. His eyes left the girl's face and traveled down her body. The girl's long, black t-shirt nearly drowned the girl's shorts. Blake looked back up at the girl and noticed the hand that smoothed her hair moved to her glasses. "Do you want an autograph or something?"

"Not at all," Blake said. He turned away from the two girls and closed his eyes. Their bickering increased the headache he had been growing. As he sat there, he could only think one thing: _"It's way too early for this shit._


	2. Prologue II

At the auditorium, Kou looked around at the seats. All barren, save for a few near the front row. He laughed when he saw a colorful Afro in the very middle of the row, right next to a "black out" outfit. They faced each other with their lips moving in great delight. The whole time he had been searching the halls, he's never seen the two pieces of clothing; it wasn't like he could miss them either.

He felt a hand on his back; it had a small frame yet strong force behind him. It pushed him forward down the long row beside the chairs lined in perfect array, as if marching to their untimely death. He got his foot stuck on the chair's own leg, and he tumbles down. He feels a body on top of him. He turns around underneath, only to be face to face with red-haired girl.

She hopped up off of him and on to her knees next to him. She bowed once, repeating: "I'm so sorry, so sorry!" He laughed and sat up, wiping off his coat. He loved his outfit, especially for the dust resistance. As he placed a hand on the ground, he pushed off and stood himself to his feet. He offered his hand down to the girl. She looked up to him and blushed. Her hand rose from her thigh and laid itself onto his. He gripped and pulled back. She followed, but her feet got caught up together. She found herself up against him.

"Aye, me got a beauty here," he said, "a clumsy beauty to boot!" She smiled wide as she pushed away; she walked past him with a slight hip. He watched her before a stray arm found its way around his neck.

"Hey man, stop starin'! You're making it too obvious," a male voice said. Kou looked in the direction of the voice. His smile deflated at the sight of the other man. "What's wrong? It looks like you've seen your enemy." It wasn't that he saw him as an enemy, he didn't recognize the other guy at all. This strange face and his green hairstyle left his mind pondering on who it could be, and why he would wrap his arm around Kou's neck. "You probably don't even recognize me, don't you? It's me, Kaoru Yamada, Super High School Level Chess Player. We went to the same middle school!"

**Kaoru Yamada. Super High School Level Chess Player.**

Kou shook his head. "Yer not one of my mateys. Are ye with the enemy?" Kaoru sighed and let his arm sink back to his side. Silence grew between the two, with the pirate.

"Don't remember at all? Damn, that sucks!" He exclaimed. Kou jumped at the sudden outburst and reaches for the sword in its hilt. Even though it was a mock sword, it still is sharp. "What about Aimi Wakahisa, Super High School Level Table Tennis Player? You and she had a thing once! You have to remember that; you were staring at her as she walked past you!" Kou looked over at the red haired girl whom pushed him and tilted his head. She looked back at him with a smile.

**Aimi Wakahisa. Super High School Level Tennis Player.**

"Sorry matey, but I never seen 'er in me life. I'm pretty sure I could remem'er a beauty like that," he responded to the other student's dismay, "But I'm sure if ya could introduce me, me matey, I would be thankin' ya for ye life." Again, Kaoru sighed. "What's wrong, ye scalawag? Did me words hurt ye feeling's?"

"No, but it is kinda depressing you don't remember either of us," he responded and silence took over the two. The chess player turned away as he crossed his arms. He continued, only to break the silence, "I guess I'll go talk to the other students. See you later, Kou."

Kaoru walked down the aisle, noticing two brown haired in the middle of the right row. He sighed to himself. _Why wouldn't I try to meet them? _He squeezed between the seats and sidestepped in their direction. _And why the hell are the seats so close together? Don't they know some people are claustrophobic? Ugh… A couple more steps._

The brown haired girl looked past the gender-swapped teen in front of her. She was already bored of his conversational skills; all he talks about is his chef abilities and the "cuisine dishes" he's made. They don't even sound that appetizing. When she saw the green hair, her interest was peaked immediately. Enough to make her stand up and wave for him.

The chef watched the girl stand. _What nerve does she have! How can anyone be rude as to stand up in the middle of a sentence? _The girl stepped over his legs and ran to the approaching man. The chef, extremely pissed off, stood up as well and walked in the opposite direction. _Perhaps I'd have a better outcome with that Animal Breeder that I talked to earlier._

"Hi there!" The brown haired girl exclaimed with enthusiasm, looking directly at the chess player's eyes. He smiles slightly, looking away towards the group in the front row. "My name is Ryoichi Tachibana, and I'm the Super High School Level Youtuber!

**Ryoichi Tachibana. Super High School Level Youtuber.**

May I ask of yours?" She giggled at her own "politeness." Why wouldn't she? Her videos are of her making fun of other people.

"My name isn't too important right now. Who were you talking to; you know, that other brown haired boy?" He asked, looking back at her. She frowned and sighed; another boring one.

"He's Itsuki Sato, Super High School Level Chef, or something.

**Itsuki Sato. Super High School Level Chef.**

Though he doesn't matter either now. He went off, leaving a girl like me behind," she said with a huff. He laughed awkwardly, seeing how she already stretched the truth out. A period of silence took them over. He rubbed his neck as she stared at him. "You don't recognize me?"

He was taken back by the question, not sure if he truly did or didn't. Maybe he's seen one of her videos; but he wouldn't have guessed she made any if she hadn't said anything. He couldn't find the words to answer her. All he could do was shake his head yes. Her dark blue eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He blushed a little, but had no time to react as the girl pulled away and skipped down the aisle via the backside.

* * *

He looked at the empty seats in front of him. Something started to hurt his stomach; something was wrong with this whole situation. Seven students in the auditorium, and possibly more, all at a school that promises to help with their special abilities. He looked at the double door entrance way and sighed. He saw Kou talking with another guy. The latter's skin was darker than the pirate's own skin.

"There's nothing I find more interesting than dolphins, ye know?" Kou asked. The man in front of him growled.

"Can't you ever shut up? God! You're more annoying than Cara when she wants to make out," the man said. He crossed his arms in front of him. "What's your name, anyway. So I know who I can cross of my hit list."

"Me name is Kou Tachi, and me title is Pirate. What be me matey's name?" Kou asked, with a little hint of a mocking voice. "Don't ye want to return the favor and be polite?"

**Kou Tachi. Super High School Level Pirate.**

"God damn! You're so fucking annoying! If you must know, my name is Alonso Ramos, the world's best, youngest, and most handsome drummer.

**Alonso Ramos. Super High School Level Drummer.**

Now, why do you think we're here? It's not like a drummer has anything to do with someone like you, no offense," the man said. He looked away from the pirate in front of him.

Kou cocked his eyebrow, and mockingly said: "Aye, it'd be strange tides that washed over us. There's something not right with the events that have lead us here."

"I don't think it's what brought us here, but it's clear that you were brought from the looney bin."

"Nah, me hardy. That'd be the psychologist over yonder. He been told to know of an illness in a man before he even come with it." Kou stated with a smile. He pointed over to the psychologist over by the left wall with the dog. "He be named Yomi Gamen, and he be Super High School Level Psychologist." The man leaning against the wall looked over at the two for a split second.

"Whom can ye introduce me to?" The pirate asked softly. The drummer scratched his chin and pointed over to a girl in a tennis outfit standing next to another smaller girl.

"The taller one is Aimi Wakahisa, Super High School Level Tennis Player. And the shorter one is Cara Aue, Super High School Level Archer.

**Cara Aue. Super High School Level Archer.**

And don't even think about trying for Cara. She and I already have done it." Alonso triumphantly said. Kou smiled and gave him a thumbs up, although not entirely sure what the phrase means.

* * *

"Hey, mister," a young voice said, "what are you doing? Don't you want to meet the other people. There might be a girl waiting for you down by the side door." Kaoru, instead of looking for the voice, looked over at the entrance to the side of the auditorium and smiled. The girl that just hugged him waved him over. He walked over, sidestepping his way through the tightly packed auditorium seats.

As soon as he stepped past the last seat in the row, the lights dimmed. A single stage light shone down on the stage. There on the stage stood a small teddy bear dancing on the podium. "Upupupu," it said. Kou didn't have to look over to recognize the sound of that laugh. It was the one he heard inside the classroom with the little girl. He gulped and looked behind him towards the podium. His face grew from fright to shock. This time, there was no little girl with the bear. It danced its heart out on its own.

"Testing, Testing!" The bear said as he poked the microphone. It echoed through the whole auditorium, before silence fell upon the group. "Welcome to Gainscrest University, fellow students. As you may all know, or don't know, you'll be spending the rest of your miserable life in here. I'm going to be the headmaster of the school! Don't that just sound paws-some?" Gasps flew out from the numerous classmates that stood around. Those that sat rose up in sight of the talking teddy bear.

The worst part about the bear was the appearance. It's white half gave off the creepy innocent look; Yomi, whom sat in the side rows, knew it was a façade. Then there was the black half of the bear. The smile that sprawled upon its face and the glowing red eye. Kaoru, despite being on the very side, could feel the light piercing his soul.

"This is a joke, right? There's no way in hell you're serious," a voice called from the back. Everyone, including Monokuma, looked at the voice. A young man stood, baring his lab coat apart with his hands in his pockets, "Living in here forever? When the hell did I, if not all of us, agree to something like that?" He walked down the aisle, ignoring the glares he received as he walked. His eyes were set on the little bear dancing on the stage. "You're a sadistic little fuck, aren't you? I've even read about the shit you put the other classes through."

"Upupupupu, and I've read about you, Shota Mizushima, Mr. Scientist.

**Shota Mizushima. Super High School Level Scientist.**

You shouldn't be talking, especially considering the experiments you've conducted in the past." The bear taunted. Shota stopped suddenly at the front row. "I've got you now, don't I? As you all may have heard, I'm beary into murder." It stopped dancing for a second and the red eye glowed brighter. "If I don't get what I want, there will be sacrifices. Including some of your deepest secrets coming out. Now, why don't you look around the school some more and I'll meet you all back here in an hour!"


	3. Prologue III

Shock filled the auditorium. First the bear talked, and now he's saying they're all going to be living there for the rest of their lives.

"Upupu~! I just love the look on your faces~!" He mocked, putting his paws on his own cheeks. It feigned an expression of horror, only to break the face and laugh.

"Wait, wait, wait! Did I hear right? Did he say… What the fuck are you talking about? We have to live here for the rest of our lives _and _you know our secrets?!" Cara exclaimed. She looked around. Her bright blonde hair flowed behind her head in each direction she looked. The students around her never broke their own gaze at the bear. "Alright, who the hell is controlling the bear? Answer me now and I won't beat you to death—I'll go about halfway."

"Ooh, I just love that tough girl act you have~! It's beary attractive~," the bear laughed, putting a paw onto its hip. "Not attractive enough to get you out of here though. In fact, there's only one way you can get out of here. You must murder each other!"

"I-I couldn'…!" Ryoichi cried out, starting to cry in Kaoru's hold.

"Murder is a stupid excuse for escape, hell, it's stupid all the way around," Shota said, looking to the ground, "the only way someone should kill is in the name of science."

"Mister, what are you talking about? That's still murdering someone," a girl in a black corset and a red skirt asked from the left fire exit. She adjusted the top hat she had on, shaking her head in the process.

"And _who_ are you?" Shota snapped back, cramming his hands deeper into his pockets.

"I'm R—

"Now that's enough! You're starting to bore me! Now then, I have a few words before I leave. Starting today, you'll be given a chance to investigate the school grounds. Doesn't that sound beary exciting?" The bear asked. It tapped its head before adding, "in addition, each of you will have your own room to sleep in, and your own PDA. Make sure to have your eHandbooks in hand, or else you may be restricted from some areas."

"eHandbook…?" Yomi said to himself, scratching his chin.

"Today, you will be allowed to investigate the first floor only! If I catch any of you attempting to go to the second floor, I'll discipline you myself. There are other rules you have to abide by too. They will be listed inside your eHandbook. Good luck to everyone, and have a beary wonderful day~!" The bear said, having his lasts words "let the Worth Gaining Mutual Killing!" echo before he disappeared behind the podium.

"Don't just stand there, people," Shota barked out, "move out or do something!" He growled at the people walking by him on their way outside the auditorium. When only he and two girls remained, he walked in front of the two of them. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Neither girl, in green short nor in purple dress, looked at him. Without looking, the girl with the green shorts spoke to him, "why should we listen to you? Aren't you the one to say people should die for science?"

"Yeah, I did. Of course, I mean it. People are dying, and we use their bodies to learn about their anatomy. Cancer and the new illnesses can be extinguished if people didn't interfere with what we do," he responded, pulling his hands out of his pockets. He smiled wide as he held his head, "especially those critics. They don't know shit! No one does!" The two girls looked up at him, confused and scared. He began laughing to himself, cramming his hands into his pockets again. "I'm just kidding, you know."

**[Location: **Auditorium | **Time: **2:05 PM | **Day:** 2**]**

"If you say so, freak," Natsumi scuffed.

Shota shot another glare at her. "It's amazing a slut's calling me a freak."

The actress laughed and ran her hands down her hips. "You're just sad you'll never get any of this," she teased.

"That's where you're half wrong," he growled, but then smirked as he added, "I'm actually happy to not get sloppy seconds."

She clenched her fists tight as she shot up from her seat. "You mother fucker! Take that back!" She yelled with a higher pitched voice.

Shota simply shook his head. "One shouldn't take back the truth, even if it's too much for another person," he added to his insult.

Nagisa started to cry as she held her friend back. "Gu-guys, come on," she stuttered, "don't call each other names… It's not nice…"

** "**You shouldn't get involved in things that's over your head, little girl," he remarked as he pointed his finger at the mangaka.

** "**Shut up, you pedo. Don't even attempt to talk to my girl!" the actress yelled at the scientist. She broke away from her restraints and marched forward to attack him.

However, right when she swung at him, he stepped back and shook his head at her. "Hmph, whatever," he uttered before he looked away and walked in the direction he faced. His hands clenched in his pockets.

With a disgusted look on her face, she threw her arms around each other. She spoke quickly, but with easy "What a weirdo! Do you believe he talked to me like that? He is going to be a virgin when he dies, just watch!"

The younger girl covered her ears, shaking. "Nats," she started, "don't say such things about people you don't know..!"

"It's true though! Did you see the way he walked away? He's a full blown weirdo!" She cried out as she threw her hands into the air.

"Nats… It's a weird time to bring this up, but remember when we were kids?" the mangaka asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" the actress returned the question.

"Remember how everyone used to call me names?" She asked again. She sat down in the auditorium chair and gently pulled her friend down with her.

Natsumi looked down with a puzzled look on her face. "Oh yeah!" She cried out as she looked up at the more fragile girl. "I remember, little Miss Pocketbook!"

The girl squeaked as she hid her face. "H-hey… Don't say it so loudly…" she whispered behind her hands. She waited a second before lowering her hands and continuing, "well, you're being like them right now with him…"

The actress laughed at her comment, but then realized her friend didn't laugh along. "Are you kidding me? He's a lot worse than you are, and ever will be!"

As she nodded, the younger girl softly said "well… Tell me, how did you did you get the bullies to stop, anyway?"

Again, the actress laughed. She wrapped her arm around the other girl and spoke louder. "Hah, that's easy! I cursed at them and even beat up their leader. You should have seen the faces and noises they made as I slammed my foot into their stomachs!"

The girl gasped as she raised her hand to her mouth. "You beat one of them up? Now that you mention it, it does make sense. After that time, everyone stopped bothering me and even began to avoid us…"

Before the girl could continue, her friend pulled her up, along with herself, out of the auditorium chair. The actress patted the girl's back and motioned to the exit. "I'm glad you remember it all… It was all for you, you know? Now come on, let's go find somewhere for me to relax in my bikini. I'm dying of this heat.

**|Report Card update|**

**Natsumi Sawada Level 1**

**She protected her friend from bullies in their childhood. She even beat the leader of their clique up. It was all for her friend.**

* * *

**[Location: **Gym | **Time: **2:25 PM | **Day:** 2**]**

The gym was massive. On the left side, there was a swimming pool; on the right, was a full set up basketball court. The doors in the basketball court fly open. In the doorway, a long browned-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips. She laughs loudly, looking back at the girl behind her. The latter shook her hair; her blonde hair fell to both sides of her head as it moved.

"Are you ready to lose in Tennis?" the first girl asked. The other sighed, pushing her way past the first one. "Hey, Cara, where are you going?"

"I'm going to investigate the pool. What else would I do? Dammit Aimi, some times I feel like you're the blonde in this relationship."

"Hey!" Aimi cried out, "don't say such things about me!"

Cara just laughed, "it's true though," she started, "you have more blonde moments than I do."

The tennis player pulled down a strand of her own hair. "I'm not blonde, and you're not naturally blonde. You told me yourself," she muttered.

"That's lie, and you know it," the other girl remarked with a growl.

Aimi tilted her head. "Why the hell would I lie?"

"I dunno, but you seem to like to lie a lot since I met you," Cara remarked before she moved to middle of the basketball court with the tennis player hot on her tail.

The latter huffed as she crossed her arms. Her cry went unanswered as the other girl began searching for something.

"Stop your sulking and find something what we can do," ordered the archer.

The other girl tilted her head and looked to the ceiling. She quickly looked back down at the archer as she cried out, "you just said you were going to the pool!"

Cara just sighed. "No, you dipshit," she started, "I don't have anything to wear into the pool!"

The blonde-haired girl shrugged. "You could go skinny dipping," she said. "Just saying," she quickly added in.

"You would want to see that, wouldn't you?" the brown-haired girl remarked with a snarl as she pointed at the other girl.

"Not at all!" the blond cried out as her face grew redder than a tomato.

Seeing this as an opportunity to torment the other girl more, Cara continued with her insults. "Oh yeah, I bet you think of me as you lie in bed every night. You think of me laying with you as you cuddle up against my warmth."

"St-stop it! It's not like that…!" The tennis player said as she tried to push the girl away.

The archer quickly grabbed on the girl's wrists and playfully pulled her closer. "Stop lying to yourself, you perverted blonde," she whispered into the girl's ear.

The latter only blushed harder. She broke away and turned around to hide her blush. "Hmph!"

Cara just sighed. "Eh, haha. It's fun tormenting you, you know?" She asked with a laugh.

"You're a bully!" The blushing girl cried out.

"Oh, shut up, you big baby," the other girl said as she turned the tennis player around to face her. She swiftly moved in and locked lips with the girl in front of her. Shocked, the blonde couldn't move in the kiss. Before she knew it, the kisser pulled away and walked over to the bleachers. "Do you have anything you wanna do? You know, besides me," she called back to the blonde.

After the kiss, the blonde couldn't do anything. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn't form properly. Instead, only squeaks came out as she made the movements of tennis. The archer didn't turn around yet, so she thought. She quickly changed her motion just as soon as the archer turned around. The blonde pulled her arm back like she prepared to strike her prey. She let it go and the archer pretended to catch it.

"Trying to shoot your love arrows at me, are you? You really do want me, don't you," she teased as the blonde turned around. "I'm just kidding! Come on, we should have a shooting competition! Listen; go set up something to catch the arrows in front of the pool.

"_What should I use?" _she thought as she looked around. To the side of the court, a basketball cart stood empty and alone. It looked like the players pulled out the balls without replacing them. Why, she had no idea. Over to the other side of the gym, beyond the pool, a closet with its door sat ajar. She could see cut outs littering the floor. However, she could also see a soccer net standing up against the wall on the left hand wall opposing the bleachers.

Aimi walked over to closet and grabbed the goalie cut outs lying on the floor. She grabbed the one and dragged it across the gym to the front side of the shallow end. As she place it down, she heard a shriek coming from behind her. She spun around to see Cara, on the ground, covered by the arrow rack.

"You alright there?" She asked. She didn't bother to walk over to help her fallen classmate. The archer pushed the arrows off of her and glared at the tennis player. The latter looked away.

"Thanks a lot," she huffed as she stood up.

"No problem…?"

The archer growled. "I think you're enjoying my pain," she remarked and rubbed the small cut she got from the arrowhead.

"You don't know…" the tennis player's voice trailed off.

The doors opened up again. Alonso walked forward with his head hung and grunted as he walked. "Oh hey there, handsome," Cara said as she smiled at him, "what are you doing here?"

"I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I just came here," he responded. He had his eyes closed and his head in his left hand.

"Are you alright? You seem to be hurting," Aimi asked as she set up the second cut out.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just fine," he added. Silence filled the space around them.

"S-so, what's new, Alonso…?" she asked.

"Nothing at all. I'm just busy trying to get rid of this headache," he said as he put his head into his hands.

"How did you get the headache?" Cara asked sarcastically.

"I thought back to my first band in the music business. I had the best of times doing tours with them. I went to all of the major venues: New York, Tokyo," Alonso started with a smile, "it got boring though. I needed someone else to feel the excitement with. I don't know if fate answered my call, but I found an amazing offer and next thing I know, I got tour after tour. We decided to tour right in Linback. However, I can't remember how it went. All I can remember is fuzz…"

**|Report Card update|**

**Alonso Ramos Level 1 **

**Unfortunately, for some reason, Alonso gets a headache whenever he thinks of the tour in Linback. After that, his memory is hazy.**

"Good, I'm ready if you are," the archer said quickly and caught the tennis player off guard.

"Shouldn't we worry about Alonso?" Aimi asked the girl.

"We really can't worry about him, if it's only a headache," she remarked as she moved over to the bleachers.

"I-If you say so…" the tennis player said in her soft voice.

As she got agitated, Cara barked her order at her. "Grab your arrow and shoot it already!"

The tennis player did as she was told. She grabbed her bow and loaded the arrow into it. She knew how to load it and fire, but she's never fired before. She raised the bow and pulled back on the string. She focused on the spot she wanted to hit, but right when she let go, she heard another shriek from behind her. She looked back and sighed at the sight of Alonso holding Cara against him as he kissed her neck. She looked to the target and smiled at the headshot she got.

"Hey, Aimi, we're going to have a po-pool party. Go get your one piece and come back in an hour," Cara said between moans. The girl nodded and sighed. She walked over to the door as Alonso pulled his prey onto the bleachers with him. As she sighed, she walked out and let the doors close on the scene.

* * *

**[Location:** Kitchen | **Time:** 2:40 PM |** Day: **2**]**

"The kitchen is fully stocked, isn't it?" A voice called out. The chef turned around quickly and smiled at the girl standing at the entranceway. He looked back to the refrigerator. Inside, the top shelves were filled with sodas and milks. Below them are containers full of meat and fish.

"It's nice in here. I feel like the Kitchen is the only place that won't ever fill with tension," he said.

"Surprisingly, you're right, Itsuki," the girl said as she moved over to the lonely island in the middle of the floor.

He stared at the girl in front of him. She had the corset and skirt still on, top hat included. He shook his head and asked, "How do you know my name?"

She looked to the side as she rubbed her chin. "Oh, uhm, what's her name…" she paused suddenly, "You know, that youtuber told me about you. She said you were a little boring with your conversations."

Itsuki laughed, "Did she now? Well, maybe I should have a little conversation with her about that…" he too paused and let the atmosphere around them be filled with silence. She moved over to the racks that held up the large tin cans filled with a variety of soups. "What did you come in here for anyway?" He asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" she turned to him and tilted her head. "Oh! I just wanted to see what the kitchen looked like," she said as she straightened her head.

"Well," he slowly said, "what do you think about it?" He turned around so his back faced the girl. He placed his hands on the counter and crossed his legs.

The girl laughed a little. "It looks really nice," she said softly. "Especially the marble counters right where you're standing." She walked behind him and ran her hand across his lower back. He shivered, but ignored her as she moved over to the refrigerator. "Look at all of this stuff! There's enough for everyone to eat every night for a year!"

He nodded and agreed with her. "I do like the marble counters, and the fact that we won't starve in here. The only way we'll die in here is if someone takes that thing's words to heart. Hopefully, we won't have to have anyone killed… I don't want to attend a fifth funeral…."

"A fifth funeral…?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Oh, it's nothing," he said and waved her off.

She moved next to him and turned toward him. "Tell me," she commanded. He shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'll tell you something about myself then."

He sighed at the girl in front of him. "Fine, I'll tell you, alright?" She nodded and gave him her full attention—or rather, what looked like her full attention. "If anyone dies in here, then that will be the sixth death, murder, suicide, whatever you wanna call it, that happened around me. My father died overseas in the war, and the only person I had left is my mother…." He paused at the word mother and bit his thumb. She tilted her head at him.

"My mother… I can't remember anything about her..!" He quickly grabbed the counter as he hunched over.

"My mother… Why can't I remember her?! She's the only person I have left, and I can't remember what she even looks like!" He started to bang on the counter in front of him.

"Calm down, Itsuki." She said as she grabbed his shoulders. He looked at her with reddened eyes. "So what if you can't remember what she looks like right now? I don't want to see you cry—please stop and talk to me, alright?" He looked into her eyes, only able to nod.

"I-I'm sorry. W-well, my mother wanted to hold a funeral for my father. On the way to the funeral, my aunt and uncle were killed in a crash caused by a drunken man," he continued, "soon after that, my best friend killed himself all because the girl I tried to set him up with dumped him."

"I'm sure other things happened along the way," she said as she tried to console him.

"Ma-maybe, but still…" He looked away, but then right back to here. "I still remember the cake I made for him on the day he died… It's suiting too, considering the funeral the next day…"

"What kind of cake was that? Wait, emme guess!" She exclaimed as she rubbed her chin. "Was it… Angel Food Cake, considering how he had the funeral the next day." He nodded and smiled gently.

**|Report Card update|**

**Itsuki Sato Level 1**

**As of right now, Itsuki has been to five funerals. The first for his father, then his aunt and uncle, then it was his friend. The only person he really has is his mother. **

His smile faded when he felt fur at his feet. He looked down, a little scared at the thought of her having hairy legs. His fear grew to anger immediately at the sight of the golden retriever at her feet. However, she squealed and hugged him. "He's so cute," she said, rubbing her cheek against the furry friend. Itsuki turned around and grunted.

"Get that damn thing out of here. The fur's going to get into the food," he said as he turned back to the counter, "and we don't have enough to eat all of the food."

"No, he's not. He's a cute little puppy," she squealed and giggled. "Look at him! He wants to be petted."

He looked down and snarled at the dog. The latter lowered its tail and shot out the door. "I forgot to ask earlier, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Rio Tsukuda. But you can call me Rio," she mockingly said, "Super High School Level Animal Breeder."

**Rio Tsukuda. Super High School Level Animal Tamer.**

"Animal Breeder, eh. Then keep the dog away from me before I teach it manners."

"No, don't hurt him…" she begged softly.

He huffed and shook his head. "Why not?" he asked. "He doesn't know its place. Hell, he isn't even a student!"

"But it's prohibited in the rulebook to hurt any kind of animal!" She exclaimed!

"You're lying. Where is this _rulebook_ you speak of?" He asked. He stepped closer to her like he were to hurt her.

"I'll go get it for you, alright?" Rio said as she jumped at the sudden approach. She turned on her heel and started to walk out of the kitchen, only to bump into a brunette. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said softly.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," she responded. Her eyes looked at the two students in front of her. She grew a puzzled look on her face. "I don't think I met you two yet. What are your names?"

"I'm Rio Tsukuda, and this is Itsuki…" She paused.

"Sato," he answered, "where were you going anyway?"

"Oh! I was on my way to get a drink before heading out to the pool. We're having a pool party! Didn't you see my one piece?" the girl asked.

"No, sorry. I don't look below the neck on anyone," Itsuki laughed as he crossed his arms. "Seriously though, what pool party?"

"Oh! A girl and I walked into the gymnasium, and saw it had a pool. So we decided to throw a party, and everyone is invited!" She exclaimed happily.

"I guess I can go to it; I just won't go into the pool. What about you, Rio?" He asked as he looked over at the animal trainer. The latter nodded and smiled. "It's settled then. Meet you there in five minutes?"

"Sure thing!" the girl exclaimed again, smiling wide. She turned to go outside the door when she stopped and looked back to the two. "And if anyone asks, it's Aimi who invited you."


	4. Prologue IV

** [Location:** Lobby | **Time:** 2:50 PM | **Day** 2**]**

The halls were drowned in silence with only footsteps off into the distance giving gently pokes to the growing laughter. Déjà vu, if Kou would say so himself; just him as he walked down an eerily silent hallway. He stopped. Footsteps behind him grow louder; laughter followed shortly after. He turned around, expecting to be killed on the first day. With his arms raised in self-defense, he prepared for the worst.

"Uhm, Mr. Pirate, are you alright?" A quiet voice asked. He opened his eyes and looked around. A little girl and her bear stood in front of him.

"Y-Yer the one me eyes seen!" He cried as he ran from the girl. Her laughter stabbed his back as he ran. He didn't stop, either. He wanted to run to the dorms and hide again. He wanted to just get out of there, but he bumped into someone. Kou found himself back on the floor.

"Hey. What are you doing running in the hallways?" the boy asked as he held out his hand. Kou took and the boy pulled him up to his feet.

"There be a little girl and a bear!" he responded as he motioned at the girl's height.

The boy in front of him laughed. "You ran because of something you saw? Why are you scared of a little girl?"

"I-I…! She be with that bear from the stage!" Kou said as he grabbed at his collar, "they be comin' for me! I be a goner. Tell every one I be sorry…"

"Calm down, please," the boy said as he looked away. "You're getting worked up over nothing. I'll tell you right now: there's no girl here; it's just us young adults."

"Are ye callin' me a lair?" Kou said as he deadpanned.

"Not a lair, no. I'm just saying there's no way you could have seen a girl in a place like this. A school this small has no place for a girl to hide," he remarked and motioned to the closed gate. "With that there, there's only a limited place to hide. So calm down, alright?"

"I-I guess I can calm down…" Kou sighed and looked down at the boy's feet. His attention drew immediately to the flier in the boy's hand. "What's that?"

The boy held up the flier. "This?" he confirmed, "this is a flier for a pool party I don't have the slightest interest in. Instead, Rio wanted to go and have fun."

As if on cue, a girl ran up behind the boy. "Sorry Itsuki!" She apologized with a huff, "I had to take care of the doggie. His face is so irresistible!"

"Don't need to apologize to me. I happened to run into… Erm, what's your name?" the boy asked.

"Kou," he responded, "Kou Tachi."

"My name is Rio Tsukuda!" Rio interjected, much to the boy's dismay.

"Yes, you are," he said as he gently pushed the girl. She giggled and smiled at him. "Now, we are on our way to the pool party. If you want to come, you're going to need this ticket, alright?" He held out his hand. The green flier looked like an invitation to one of the amusement parks around the area.

"Y-ye see, it's not that I be not wantin' to go…" Kou responded, " It's just that…" His voice trailed as he looked down at his clothes. "I-I don't have the right gear for that…! Yeah, that's it."

"That's fine. Your closet should have a school issued swim trunk," Itsuki said as he transferred the ticket to the pirate's hand.

"Oh," Kou sighed as he looked down at the ticket. "Look, me matey, I be wantin' to go, but… Can you keep a secret?"

Itsuki stared at the pirate in front of him with a cocked eyebrow. He tilted his head and thought about the idea of the secret.

"Secret? You have a secret?" Rio asked continuously as she looked the pirate over. "You have a secret?"

"Doesn't every one?" Itsuki retorted. He pushed the girl back behind him and turned back to the boy. "Now, what is your secret?"

"I… I don't know how to swim," he said and turned away. "I don't know how to swim at all. I can't even float on the water… I sink right away. Then again, I didn't take the time to learn, either… It's embarrassing for a person of my title to not know how to a simple task of swimming."

"That's ok!" Rio said confidently. She put her fists in front of her as if pumping herself up and smiled. "You don't need to swim at the party! Itsuki here isn't going into the pool either. He'll probably be dancing his butt off!" She quickly smacked his butt and he jumped forward with a flushed face.

"I swear to god. The next time you do that, I'll make sure I chop off your hands and feed them to you," he remarked. He pointed his finger right at her, but she stuck out her tongue.

"O-oh, thanks I guess…" Kou said as he watched the boy run after the girl. He grew more confused by the second. He shrugged off the scene and looked down at the invitation in his hand. It didn't have any words on it, just a signature. "Might as well…"

**|Report Card Update|**

**Kou Taichi Level 1 **

**Despite being a Pirate and traveling on the seven seas, he doesn't know how to swim. He never took the time to learn to. However, he tries to hide the fact the best he can.**

**[Location:** Lobby | **Time:** 3:05 PM | **Day** 2**]**

The pirate stood in the same place. He hadn't moved an inch; his mind held him in place. Thoughts swirled inside his head as he stared at the hallway just before him, although his eyes didn't see anything in particular. However, a light skinned hand interrupted his sight. He turned towards the body of the girl in front of him.

"You alright there, Mr. Pirate?" The girl had asked. She had the 'black-out' outfit that he saw at the auditorium. The lightly colored Afro stood behind her. "You seemed to be out of it. Yumiko and I watched you just stand there. We just thought something happened to you, and well, we were worried…"

"Yeah. Why must you stand in the middle of the hallway? It looked like something happened to you, like Emi said," the boy stepped up in front of the girl. She said his name, didn't she; Yumiko.

"I'm sorry. I needed to think about something. …Er, what be ye doin' here, me matey?" Kou said as he shuddered halfway through his statement.

Emi's face lit up as the pirate spoke. "See!" She exclaimed suddenly. "I told you he spoke like a pirate!" She elbowed Yumiko in the rib as he grumbled. "You owe me five bucks now."

"Wait, ye scallywags bet on me?" The pirate asked as he narrowed his eyes, "didn't ye parents tell ye to ne'er bet on a pirate?"

"I be sorry, me matey," the girl said as she giggled. She gently punched his arm. "You're a kidder, you know? I think you'll be great at the party."

"You heard about the party too?" Kou asked. He immediately got rid of his accent.

Emi tilted her head at him, but then laughed. "Who hasn't heard about the party? I know whenever I go to a party; I'm the life of it. Yumiko and I have the best show to put on, isn't that right?"

"Yup!" Yumiko said as he smiled. The pirate could tell this kid was the sidekick in that relationship.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to perform for you all. I mean, I do magic, and Yumiko does jokes. We'd put on the best show for you and the rest of our friends. Free of charge!"

**|Report Card Update|**

**Emi Fudere Level 1**

**Emi is the life of the party, well, according to her. She is able to bring even saddest people back up with the tricks she does. She's hoping to perform for us all soon.**

"Maybe we can perform at the party. I know Aimi went around and invited us all," she paused and looked at his face, "I guess she didn't get you, has she?"

"Well, no, but I got an invitation to the party," he said as he lifted his arm. The green flier flew in the wind.

"Ooh! That's awesome! I guess you wanna dance with us then?" She asked as she motioned to the two before the pirate.

"Dance?" He asked, "I thought it was a pool party."

"No, silly! We're using the basketball court for the dance party," she started, "the pool is the other option for those who don't want to dance. Oh! Yumiko, I have to go and help set up. Be good, ok?"

"Sure, sure," he responded. He watched as his show partner walked over to the gym entrance. "So…"

"Yeah?" Kou asked. The boy in front of him looked away and rubbed his neck.

"Can I ask you something…?" The boy asked softly. His eyes were still on the floor.

"I guess so. What's wrong?" The pirate asked as he tilted his head.

"Well… It's just that I saw you with that girl; the one at the auditorium. You seem to get along with her, and I just wanted to know…" he paused and looked back to the gym.

"Oh, you need help with a girl, eh," Kou said mockingly. He threw his arm around the boy in front of him and smiled. "It's really simple. You just need to let her know how you feel?"

"But, how do I know what I feel?" The boy asked again, "I mean, I'm just a clown. I can't be as good as her. Do you know how hard it is living in her shadow? And do you know why I do?"

Kou tilted his head as he looked at the clown. He borrowed his brow and looked up slightly. "Maybe I do," he said. "Is it because you like her?"

"N-no! It's because she's my childhood actor!" The clown said as he put his hand on his chest. "She and I have performed back when we were kids. B-but, I had to move out of Osaka for fear of things to happen…"

"Things to happen…?" Kou repeated to himself, but the clown nodded.

"Yes," he responded, "we had a famous fortune teller in our troupe. She told me there would be a tragedy if I happened to perform with Emi ever again."

"That sounds more like a threat than a fortune," Kou remarked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's not what I mean. Lady Electra has never been wrong before! She predicted that the Stock Market would crash in 1929, and it did!"

"_If she predicted this after the crash…_" Kou thought to himself.

"A-and, she predicted that the Hindenburg would blow up! You know what? It happened!" The clown nearly exploded at the remark. His eyes showed determination, but his voice hinted towards fear. At least, to Kou it did. "If that doesn't prove that she's always right, she predicted an earthquake and tsunami would happen in 2011, right here in Japan!"

"Wow, did she really predict all that?" The pirate asked as he crossed his arms. The clown nodded quickly and pumped his fists like Rio did. "I see. So you left as soon as she said about a tragedy, is that correct?" He nodded and looked away. "How much do you wanna bet that this is the tragedy she spoke of?"

The clown took a second to analyze the question before he moved back. "Are you being serious?" He asked, but got no response from the pirate. "Y-you're right..! This is the tragedy! Do you know how bad this is? You don't know how bad this is! She told me I would die in a few days after it started!"

The pirate grabbed onto the clown's shoulders and held him in place. The latter looked up at the pirate, whom stood over the clown. He shook worse than trees in a hurricane. The determination in his eyes fell into a deep void of devastation, as if despair took over his whole body.

"I don't want to die, Kou," he spoke softly, "I will not die to any person who stepped foot in front of me. I swear on Lady Electra, I will survive this whole thing!" The despair in his eyes; gone in an instant. New life sprang into his eyes as he spoke. The fire of determination overwhelmed the void, and the green tint of his eye restored to its original color.

"I'm sure you won't," Kou remarked. The clown, however, smiled and ran over to the gym. "I'm glad you're better…" He muttered as he slowly walked over to the doorway, but stopped short.

**|Report Card Update|**

**Yumiko Yamamoto Level 1 **

**He moved out of Osaka because of a fortune said to him by Electra. There is a slim chance of her being wrong. He won't allow himself to die, however. He will survive "this whole thing."**

**[Location: **Wood shop** | Time: **3:00 PM**]**

Dust filled the air as the door opened up. The light switch refused to ignite the bulbs when flipped. As he sighed, Yomi stood in the complete darkness. He evaluated his surroundings. He stood inside an abandoned classroom. The room used to contain woodshop, to be precise. It stood different than the usual classrooms, however. Maybe the dust had a role to play, or perhaps the large circular saw in the back corner made it more hostile.

He approached it. Even he wasn't sure as to the motives behind his movements. The saw drew him closer. As he advanced closer, he realized the lack of mildew on it. It looked recently run. He ran his hand over the metal and up to the power switched. He stopped staring at the silhouette in the reflection. He bit his lip as he ran his hand back down to the teeth of the saw.

He took a step left towards the tool rack. The silhouette showed its hands up. He kept inching with his eyes focused on the silhouette. "Stay where you are and I won't need to grab anything. I'm going to turn around, and if you try anything…" He paused and turned his head. He sighed and dropped the arm reaching for the rack. He saw the girl that cried out at the announcements. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I don't ne-need to answer you…" she responded as she turned her head. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Well, tell me who you are at least," he sighed to himself. It was gonna be another one of _those_ conversations.

"My name? It's Ryoichi Tachibana! I'm _the_ YouTube sensation, you know~?"

YouTube? "Nope," he remarked, "I don't watch that."

"What?!" Ryoichi started to freak out. She threw her hands onto her cheeks and looked around. "I have to find you a computer so you can start to watch it. If you're not watching, you're not living!"

The psychologist shrugged and turned towards the rack again. "Eh… I feel just fine without it," he said.

"You're crazy!" The girl quickly remarked.

He shrugged again. "Eh, I've been called worse," he said.

The YouTuber's face grew red with anger. She put her hands up and made her frizzy. She even made her voice sound like his. "_Eh,_" she mocked, "_I've been called worse. Look at me, I'm Mr. Psychologist and I've been called worse._" She let her hair fall back to its original length, as she quickly added, _"_You know, you must be the lamest person I've ever seen!"

The psychologist shrugged for a third time. "Good," he said and moved over to teacher's desk. He made a note of the rows of desks in the room: three extra long desks that hold six students each. If that were the case, why would they need to hold six each? There are only fifteen students in this "game," they wouldn't need the extra 3 seats. Unless, of course, they were just placeholders for transfer students who decided to take woodshop.

"Seriously?" Ryoichi asked the boy who stared at the desks.

"Yup," he answered with a nod.

She sighed. Boring _and _wise-mouthed. "You know…" She said as she started towards the tool rack. "…I know the perfect person for you. I met her a while ago," she stopped and turned to him with a smirk on her face. "Her name's Nagisa. The sweetest person you'll ever meet."

"Not interested," he remarked and crossed his arms.

"You didn't even give her a chance!" She called out. She growled to herself and moved to the desk in the middle of the room. She hopped up on to it, only so she didn't try to strangle him.

"I know," he said and turned his back to her.

Her face started to grow red with anger. "You're starting to bug me," she remarked and forcefully tapped the bottom the desk. She swung her feet forward and back and laid her hands on the top of the desk.

"So?" He asked, with little enthusiasm. He turned back to her and shrugged for the fourth time. He made sure to count the little things like that, only so he can keep a clear record of the standards for comparison of the people around him.

"You know what," the YouTuber said as she jumped off the desk. She moved over and shoved her finger into his chest. "I'm trying to get you a girl, and you're just blowing her off!"

"And?" he asked abruptly.

"AND," she nearly shouted, "you're gonna be forever alone!"

He pushed her hand away from his chest and stared at her reaction. He could see the sweat drops roll off her forehead. Her lips curled up every breath she took. "Well," he started as he moved away from her, "basing off your personality you just showed, I wouldn't put much stock into your own relationship status."

She stepped back and covered her mouth. "Oh, my, god!" She cried, "that's not even something you joke about!"

"I just see it that way," he continued, "I can tell every little detail about you that even you didn't know about yourself. Just from your face alone, you're uncomfortable with how you're being treated. You want to strangle me, but you know that I won't die easily. That's why you're moving your lips—that way you can come back with a clever insult. However, based solely on what I just witnessed, I doubt you will be able to conjure an insult of a high caliber."

"Also," he quickly added, "you mock others because you're insecure about yourself. To get away from your current insecurity, you try to put others down. That way, you're not the only one insecure. Let me guess, your videos are always like that, and you make your viewers feel worse about themselves by answering them with sarcastic remarks."

He looked her over one last time before he smirked. "If that's not the worse part about you… you don't try to make yourself look nice, so that when people look at you, you can talk people down when they make a comment about your appearance. There's nothing of interest about you or your personality."

She stared at him, with clenched fists and watery eyes. She threw herself onto him and started to beat on his chest. She didn't hit hard, though. He sighed and pushed her off himself. "Stop it," he remarked, "you're making yourself look more like a child than a girl your age."

"Sh-shut up…!" She cried as she pushed him back. His foot got stuck on the leg of the stool and he fell backwards. When he hit the floor, pain shot up his back. He stared up at the girl, however. She stared at him, but then started to laugh a little. "You're so foolish…"

_Note to self_, he thought, _she's nothing more than a sarcastic child that thinks it's funny when others get hurt._ He put his hand on the desk and started to stand up. He put his feet on the floor and steadied himself. He looked up to the girl, but she moved to a different spot. He noticed she stared contently at the rank of hammers, but paid no mind to her. He moved over to the door and opened it slowly. There are more people to worry about than just one girl. Like those at that pool party everyone spoke of.

**|Report Card Update|**

**Ryoichi Tachibana Level 1  
**

**Based on personality alone, it's easy to tell that she's nothing more than a sarcastic child who thinks it's funny when others get hurt. In reality, she's insecure about herself, so she puts others down to bring herself up. **


	5. Prologue V

Music blared down the hall. He wasn't even at the doors, and he could already hear the party going underway. The worst part about this own ordeal was the pool in front of the party on the invitation. _That secret Monokuma talked about, _he thought to himself, _it must be the fact that I_ _never learned how to swim. _He sighed and tapped on the pocket of his red coat. It's not like he could turn down the invitation either. Aimi, whom he has no recollection of, invited him.

"Hey there, Kou," a voice called out from the doorway. Kou turned to face the music. The guy motioned him closer. "What are you waiting for out here? You should be inside!"

"Aye, sorry Kaoru… I was gonna come in, but ya stopped me," Kou answered quietly. Kaoru moved away and smiled.

He held the door open, trying to get his friend inside, and called out: "What are you waiting for? Come on in!" The pirate laughed nervously as he rubbed his neck. "What's wrong? Afraid of the girls?"

"Nah! It ain't nothin' like that! Me time… I'm waiting for someone! That's all," he responded.

The chess player cocked his eyebrow. He poked his head through the doorway again before chuckling. "And who might that be?"

"Oh, ya know…" The pirate spaced out. His had a smile on his face and his eyes on the floor.

The other boy stared at him, thinking. A smile sprawled upon his face and he smirked. Mockingly, he teased his friend, "ohh! You sly dog! Well, she's in here waiting for you."

Kou turned red and looked up at him. "Sh-she is?" He asked softly. The head in the doorway nodded. "W-what are we doin' out here then?"

"Well, you're out there, and I'm in here," he responded as he pulled his head back into the gym.

Nervously, Kou followed him in. He looked around; there were no decorations on the walls or hanging. In fact, only goalie cut outs stood in wait. His eyes drifted over to the bleachers and he laughed to himself. That darker skinned kid sat with a girl in his arms in the bottom left corner. In the other corner, Aimi looked down at her hands. Her brown hair fell down over the right side of her face. She circled her right index finger around the left.

She looked over at the two nervously. They had been going at it for the last half an hour non-stop. _Cara_, she thought, _what do you even see in him?_ Her vision drifted right and she gasped. _Kou..!_ She fought the urge to run up to him. Despite seeing him multiple times before, she felt something waking up inside her. The feeling dropped when she saw Kaoru wrap his arm around her crush's neck.

She waved at him bashfully. Her heart really wanted to talk to Kou, but her mind rejected the feeling with that chess player around him. She sighed and looked away. She tried to hide her ever-growing anxiety by looking over at the clock. She watched as the second hand ticked. It marched on like a never-ending parade. A second turned into a minute as she sat there. Kou and his friend walked over to the dance floor. She turned her attention to them. Her smile widened. She found it adorable; a pirate and a chess player dancing together.

"Damn it, Kaoru. I don't want to dance with ya," the former of the duo stated. His left hand was grasped firmly in the air, which his right rested on his partner's waist.

The man in front of him smiled. "Oh shut up, you know you like this. If you follow along, you'll get to dance with your sweetheart," he mocked. He took a step back and planted his left foot down, forcing his dance partner along with him. "Lighten up, darlin'. You and I will be dancing for a while." He leaned in slightly to get a better grip on his comrade. He placed his hand lower on the pirate's shoulders, keeping his placement in the Tango position.

Together as one, they moved around the basketball court, ruggedly at first. However, they were able to synchronize their steps. To the girl that sat alone on the bleachers, it was pretty cute. She smiled to herself, leaving herself in a pensive state. As he looked over his partner's shoulder, he smiled at the girl. He pulled away from the pirate and spun the latter towards the bleachers.

Kou stumbled forward and landed on his knees. His eyes gazed at the floor. In front of him, two tennis shoes moved away from him. He followed the shoes, up the leg connected to them. He could feel his grow hotter as his eyes traveled closer to the owner's face.

"K-Kou..!" Aimi shrieked. She moved back into the gap on the footrest. Kou smiled gently when she squirmed to get out. "D-don't laugh! Help me out!"

He stared at her before he sighed. He held out his hand and she grabbed it. He pulled to get her out; she pulled him down onto her. The bystander on the dance floor laughed at the sight of a pirate being taken out by a stuck tennis player.

Kou grew redder when he landed on the bleachers. He reached out and caught himself; he looked down at the girl he hovered over. She smiled up at him. "Hey there," he said. She giggled and pushed him to the side. She squirmed her way to the bleacher seat.

On the dance floor, alone, the chess player watched with a grin on his face. Throughout middle school, the two of them always had that budding romance. Neither of them wanted to admit their feelings for the other, but it was redundant to even pressure them. Just saying the latter's name caused a red tint on the student's face. Though, how could he not remember anything that happened last year? He couldn't think of a single thing that occurred. He shrugged if off; it wasn't like it was the first time he forget—

"Hey, Kou, why is your buddy running out the door?" The tennis player asked. He looked over and shrugged. "That's a good thing a friend can say.."

"Aye, ya know he's always frenetic. There ain't a day when he isn't runnin' around! He probably see somethin' to make 'em run," he responded. Aimi stared at him. "What? It's a thought."

"Don't you want to go check on him?" She asked and he shook his head. She sighed. "And can you tell me why not?"

He smiled at her and said gently, "Because me stayin' here wit' ya!" He leaned over the girl hugged her. The two on the other side of the bleacher laughed. The pirate jumped away from the tennis player, blushing deeply.

"Forgot we were here, did you?" The tanned skin kid said. He shook his head, rubbing his girl's back. "Oh don't mind us, you were doing great." He smiled at the other male and then kissed the girl in his arms.

Kou stared at the girl he hugged, then looked over at the door. "Ye-yeah! I'm going to go check on Kaoru if it's alright with you!" He didn't wait for a response. He ran through the doors, ignoring the silhouette already there. He fell backwards onto the floor, then looked up at the pair from the hall. The girl waved at him; the boy held out his hand. The pirate took his offer and the latter helped him up.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry? Don't you know it's ten after three?" The clown asked. The pirate stared at him. _He had his afro on again, _he thought, _just… why?_ "Buddy, are you there?"

"What? Oh, yeah, uhm… I was going to get someone," he answered. The clown nodded in acceptance.

"Hey! Pirate kid! Can you go get me some aspirin? My head never stopped aching." The brown skinned boy yelled over. The girl in his arms smacked his shoulder playfully as she laughed. "You know what? I'll do it myself, because I don't trust a scurvy dog with my stuff." She frowned up at him. "Sorry babe." She stood up for him and he followed her up. He gave her lips a peck and walked toward the doorway opposite the trio.

Yumiko's eyebrow rose, but he shook off the feeling. "Well then… Are we too late for the party?" He asked. Kou shook his head and looked away. "My beautiful Emi, can you give this man and me some time?" The magician nodded and walked over to the other two girls at the bleachers. The clown turned to the man. "What's wrong buddy?"

Kou sighed and rolled his neck. "It's.. I really shouldn't be telling you, but this ol' cap'ain wants to go talk to that one girl. Aye, ya see the red head? She be the beauty me eyes see."

"Do you need help," the clown asked as he ruffled his rainbow afro, "you know, to get her attention?" The teenager opposite him shook his head. The afro fell then rose. "Just let me know if you ever need anything, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks…" He said. The clown walked past him while he stayed in his spot. He watched the group of four in front of his grow into six. Through the doors on the other side, he identified the chef from earlier and a girl he brought. The only thing on her that Kou truly noticed was her dark red corset.

Shortly after they walked in, he felt a hand on his back. It pushed him forward onto the floor. He put his hands down to stop himself, but he still hit the ground hard. He looked to the left and saw two black shoes walk past him. It was that scientist from the announcements.

"He-Hey there… Mr. Pirate, need help..?" a soft voice asked. The pirate looked up to see a blue-haired girl wearing a one-piece swimsuit. He laughed to himself; he liked the blue she wore, but not for a hair color. He nodded and she held out her hand; he took it. He rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Thanks," he said. She nodded, but looked over at two by the pool. She bowed gently to the pirate, hustling over to join them. He sighed and walked over to the group by the bleachers.

"I'm sorry, but this party blows!" the chef said as he crossed his arms. The tennis player sighed and nodded in agreement.

"This isn't how I envisioned it to go," she said, nearly in tears. Kou wrapped his arm around her neck, causing her to blush lightly. She looked up due to the size difference and smiled. "Thanks Kou…"

"Well, we're here now. Why don't we at least try to have a fun night? We can dance a little," the chef said. He held out his hand and the girl next to him took it. She smiled as he lead her to the basketball court. The pirate mimicked the other male and lead his girl to the court.

Time flew around. One song turned into a playlist. The blonde haired girl made it onto the makeshift dance floor with her man. Together, the three couples danced around. Despite each doing their own thing, it looked like a professional dance group to a bored observer.

Blake looked back at the clock. The second hand slowly marched on. It seemed like an eternity to him, but only five minutes passed. Nothing seemed to peak his interest in this party. He looked over at the pool. Nagisa and Natsumi splashed each other. He laughed lightly at their swimsuits. They reflected upon each girl's personality. Nagisa had the one piece while Natsumi had the bikini.

He sighed in maximum boredom. He thought about just leaving, but then he'd hear the end of it from the actress. If he stayed, he might end up with a bashed-in skull, self-inflicted, of course. He decided he'd rather listen to nags than die and stood up. Just as he did, he found a small finger pushing itself into his chest.

"Where do you think you're going? You'd agree to swim with us, didn't you?" Natsumi asked. She dripped water onto the wooden floor. He ignored her. It was too late to apologize anyway. He stopped when he heard the laughter from this afternoon.

The doors burst open and the bear walked in. An awkward silence filled the room, battling the blasting music. He looked around at the students as he said, "didn't I tell you to meet me back at the auditorium in an hour? It's been nearly three!

Blake spoke out: "Huh? What do you mean there are rules?" The students nodded at his question. Rules were never stated in that little announcement the bear had.

He grabbed his stomach and laughed. "There are rules that everyone must follow~! But it seems that one someone isn't here right now… Maybe I should punish him~!" He taunted as he waggled his finger at the group in front of him.

Kou looked around and shook his head. "Are you talking about Kaoru? He left for a mere second. He had to go meet someone!" Blake sighed and shook his own head.

The bear laughed harder. "Second or not, he's not here! Rule sixteen states that **Every student must partake in the activities of the day. **It is beary important that you read over your rules~!"

Blake stared at the bear. Not a single emotion appeared on his face. "Again with the bear pun? What are you, a kid?"

Monokuma threw its arms forward. His voice rose at his input: "Rule five-a, you cannot talk back to your headmaster!"

Blake matched the bear's volume, "I'm talking to a damn bear!" Silence filled the atmosphere around them. His classmates had circled around the fight. Most looked upon the scene with shocked expressions.

Even the bear had a feigned expression on his face. He tried to hold in a laugh, but failed. He had to grip his stomach. "Gwahahahahaha!" The bear kept laughing, searching the crowd. None of his students had his or her e-Handbook out. He put his paw on his chin and gasped. "I need to hand out your e-Handbooks! Whoops, sorry!"

Blake pinched the bridge of his nose. "God damn it," he muttered.

A girl, hidden behind three of her classmates, pushed her way forward. "Don't hate on the bear," she said softly, "it isn't his fault."

Blake laughed and mockingly said, "Not his fault? Don't tell me you actually feel bad for it!"

She answered him with an attitude, "it's not an it. Mr. Kuma is a boy."

Monokuma nodded and laughed in return. "Upupu~!" He started, "of course I am~!"

Blake laughed, more for the stupidity he heard. "You got to be kidding me… Fuck this, I'm out," he said. He started to walk to the doors.

"Wait just a moment~! You didn't get your e-Handbook~!" Monokuma shouted as he threw out his arms.

Blake stopped and stared at the bear. "…Well?"

The bear huffed and mocked, "I'm not gonna get them for you! They're in the bin by the door~!"

Sure enough, when he looked over, Blake saw the bright blue bin. "When did you put that there?" He asked softly.

"I told you; I'm the headmaster! I can do all sorts of things that you'll never be able to uncover~!" He responded with confidence.

"What the hell _are_ you?" The human asked.

The bear growled lowly as he prepared its claws. "I told you already! I am the headmaster!" It said loudly.

Nagisa walked up and placed a hand on the hunter's shoulder. She said, "B-Blake, leave the little guy alone…."

Next to him, Natsumi nodded and elbowed him. "You're just wasting your time on it. Move onto something more important like me."

Monokuma laughed again. He clenched his stomach, barely able to speak. "Gwahahaha~! That's hilarious!" He threw his arms out to regain his composure.

"You know what. I don't even care if I don't get a stupid rule book. I'm going off to do some I know by heart." Blake huffed and stormed out of the gymnasium.

On the opposite side of the room, a girl in a red corset gently spoke. "He-hey guys… You should seriously check out these rules," the girl said. She stood at the bin by the doors. Inside her hands, he held a small electronic device. The group walked over to her. They each grabbed their designated device and stared at the screen. On it, the title of the page flashed.

* * *

**Gainsworth Academy Rules and Regulations**

**1\. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.**

**2\. "Night time" is from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some areas are off limits at night, so please exercise caution.**

**3\. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.**

**4\. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Gainsworth Academy at your discretion.**

**5\. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.**

**5a: No one can talk back to the headmaster either. **

**6\. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.**

**6a. When a body is discovered by three living bodies, there will be an announcement. **

**7\. After the announcement, there will be an investigation period. A student may choose not to partake in investigating, but it will hurt them during the Class Trial portion.**

**8\. Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.**

**9\. If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.**

**10\. If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will graduate, and all remaining students will be executed.**

**11\. Loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited.**

**12\. The guilty party may only kill a maximum of one person during any single "killing game."**

**13\. Forcefully entering a room that is locked by Headmaster Monokuma is prohibited.**

**14\. Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.**

**15\. Violation of any of these regulations will result in immediate execution.**

**16\. Any sort of activity must be first passed through school board or Headmaster Monokuma himself. **

**17\. Every student must partake in the activities of that day.**

* * *

"Wait, Rule 2. "Night time" is from seven p.m. to seven a.m. Isn't it, like, six now? We have to go back to our dorms in an hour?! That's some serious bullshit," Natsumi yelled out. Yomi placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him and sighed. "I guess it's not bullshit, seeing as we're on the campus."

"I like the rule saying we'll be immediately executed if we violate any of the regulations. So, Monokuma, I wanna know. Are you afraid of us?" Shota asked as he walked up to the black and white bear. He squatted down in front of the bear and looked into his beady and red eye. The latter bit his lip. The scientist smiled, but frowned when the bear grabbed his little stomach and hunched over in laughter.

"Me, be afraid of you? That's rich~!" He responded, "if anything, I'd be afraid of the missing people right now~! I was in my office when I heard a little something~! Of course, I can't even hear myself think right now!"

"Oh shut up. The music's not that loud," Shota huffed as he stood straight up.

The bear shook his head. "I meant over your obnoxious voice! Gwahahahaha~!" It danced a little before he wobbled out of the gymnasium. The scientist clenched his fists and ran after the animal. The others just stared at the scene.

"You," Yomi pointed to the tennis player, "can you clean up here? Kou will help you," he turned to the rest of his remaining classmates, "we'll go catch the hothead." They nodded, since they saw no other reason to stay. One by one, they file out the doors toward the chase.

Kou turned toward the girl and shrugged. She responded with a giggle. He opened his mouth to talk to her, but the bear's voice interrupted their alone time.

"Attention everyone. The time is now seven o'clock. It is officially night time. I'd advise everyone to return to their dorms, unless someone has a death wish... Who knows, a killer may be lurking in the shadows just waiting for the right moment... Good night~!"


	6. Prologue End

**[Location:** Gymnasium | **Time:** 7:05 PM | **Day: **2**]**

The announcement finished, and the gymnasium fell silent. The two left inside looked at each other a little worried. Kou could tell that Aimi had doubts about him from the expression she gave him. She shifted slightly in her spot. "I'm going to go clean up the dance floor," she quickly said before she proceeded towards the basketball court. He shook his head slightly and moved over to the tables lining the back wall. He lifted the table cloth and reached underneath for the black plastic garbage bag.

He pulled it out and opened it up to the full extent. As he gripped the bag, he pushed everything off the table into the black hole. He made sure to drop everything into the bag, and once it filled to the top, he knotted the opening shut.

"Ya almost done, Aimi?" He called over to the table tennis player. Moments of silence ticked by as he waited for a response. "Aimi?" He turned over to the court and smiled to himself as he gazed upon his unconscious classmate. He set the garbage bag down and whipped open another. He wanted to finish up the cleaning job as fast as he could, both for himself and for her. He knew how hard the floor felt and wanted to get her back to her room.

He filled up the second bag with the rest of the trash and closed it tight. He picked up the two bags and carried them over to the door. As he set them down, he heard a conversation outside the door, but he didn't bother to register the words spoken between the two mysterious figures. Instead, he walked over to the girl and carefully picked her up in his arms. He slowly walked over to the door leading to the rotunda, and down to the right wing.

He looked to his left as he exited the gymnasium. He saw the cafeteria and the steps leading up to the second floor (and the electric gates blocking it). He continued on: past the doors to the auditorium and down the hall to the dorms. He passed the entranceway, the unoccupied dorms, and ended at the one given to Aimi.

He pulled the keycard out from the coat she wore and opened her door. The inside of her room contradicted her personality, to him, that is. She seemed like the girl that wouldn't take shit from anyone, but her room looked like she rolled in mud. No, it didn't have mud every where. Instead, it looked like a pig pen. (The reference was his idea, after all. You can understand why I needed to explain it.)

He stepped over articles of clothing strewn about the room, with only the entrance way being clear of any piece of clothing one might wear. He moved over to the bed and placed down the girl in his arms. She tossed over onto her side and hugged the pillow that laid next to her. He smiled gently and turned around. He sighed as he walked out of her room and down the hallway towards his room.

His room rested at the far end of the room. He really had no complaints about it, other than the neighbors he had. Starting at the furthest right room on the upper level when viewing the map of the left wing, Yomi occupied the first with Blake right next to him. The third room held Shota, then Ryoichi, Aimi, Emi, and finally Kou himself. Yumiko and Nagisa had the two dorms on the back wall. From the bottom left, Alonso, Natsumi, and Kaoru had the first three rooms respectively. Itsuki and Cara commandeered the next two. Rio pretty much was forced to have the second to last room, with the final dorm to be unoccupied.

(After a complicated explanation of who had which room, we finally come back to the true story at hand.) Kou stood at the foot of the bed. He sighed and spun around before he flopped onto the bed. He pulled out that eHandbook from his pocket. He spun it around in his hands before he held it up above his head. He quickly shut his eyes as the rush of white light nearly blinded him. He heard a _ding_ as it flashed a blue light before it returned to the white light. He opened his eyes slightly and saw a little letter in the upper corner.

He didn't need to touch the letter—it opened by itself. The letter was addressed to Kou Tachi, but there wasn't a sender name. The subject, however, read, "Welcome to your new life at Gainsworth University." He groaned a little and closed the letter without reading the contents. He tossed it to the side of the bed and turned onto his side. Somewhere, deep inside him, grew a feeling of fear. _Something bad is going to happen,_ he thought, _and there's nothing I can do about it, is there._

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep—a sleep so deep, he dared not to dream. It all seemed like a darkness blanketed him as he slept. Then, he sudden had a flash of light as the television turned on. He opened his eyes. At that moment, Kou realized it wasn't all a dream.


End file.
